Documented sightings reported in 1948.
USAF pilot George Gorman engaged in a 27-minute aerial dogfight with a maneuvering light over Fargo that outperformed his P-51 Mustang.
Two Eastern Airlines pilots observed a cigar-shaped craft with glowing windows pass their DC-3 at close range, prompting Project Sign's ET conclusion.
A Soviet pilot was scrambled to intercept a silver object over the USSR's most secret missile base; the object reportedly disabled his aircraft with a beam.
Captain Thomas Mantell died pursuing a large metallic UFO over Kentucky, becoming the first pilot death attributed to a UFO chase.
Declassified file documenting 209 green-orb and disk sightings around the Sandia Base atomic-weapons complex, 1948-1950; released May 22, 2026 via PURSUE Release 02.